Your views: No exceptions should be allowed for seat belts

I agree totally with Sen. Cullen on school buses being required to have seat belts and mandatory use. Back in the 1980s, when I was chief of police, then-Sen. Cullen got me appointed to serve on the Governor's Traffic Safety Council.

During my three years on the council, two major issues were addressed—drinking age and seat belts. That was when the drinking age went to either 19 or 21, and basically our present day seat belt laws were adopted.

The vote on both issues had one “nay” vote, and that was mine. I argued that there were too many exceptions to the seat belt law as it was proposed and especially not requiring seat belts on buses to protect our children. They argued that the belts would be used as weapons, who would control the use, that the bus driver would have to stop every minute to get a child back into his/her belt, etc.

I believe right now that a child can be suspended from bus usage if their behavior constitutes such action, and I don't see why the same discipline cannot be enforced for failure to use their seat belt properly.

If seat belts save lives, then seat belts should be required in all types of vehicles, with no exception.